The 33rd Annual British Columbia Japanese Speech Contest is open to registrations from British Columbia and Yukon residents who speak Japanese as a foreign or second language.
The 2021 Contest will be live streamed ONLINE on Saturday, March 6, 2021 from the website of the Consulate General of Japan. You can also watch it here.
• The High School Division is scheduled to start at 10:00 am and the University/Open Division at 1:00 pm.
• The program will be available before the event day on the website of the Consulate General of Japan.
The event is free and open to public viewing online!
ELIGIBILITY
Each contest applicant must satisfy all of the following criteria:
1. Is living, studying, or working in British Columbia or Yukon;
2. Speaks Japanese as a foreign or second language;
3. For the High School Division: Grades 10 – 12 students under 18 years of age, for the University and Open Divisions: 18 or over 18 years of age;
4. Has previously not won the 1st prize in the category for which the applicant is entering this time.
DIVISIONS AND CATEGORIES
Each applicant is allowed to enter in one category only:
SPEECH TOPIC
Speech topics may be drawn from any field.
For reference, past winning speeches are posted on the website of the Consulate General of Japan.
APPLICATION
1. Online application form
To enter the contest, please fill out an online Application Form.
2-1. Speech draft
Submit an editable file (e.g. Microsoft Word) of your speech: 11-12pt font size.
Send to: programs@vc.mofa.go.jp
2-2. Audio recording of speech
Submit an audio file via email together with your speech draft. Audio file should not exceed 10MB.
Send to: programs@vc.mofa.go.jp
When naming your speech draft and audio recording, please include the following:
1) Your name (last name first), 2) division and 3) category of entry
E.g. [Doe, Jane_University_Intermediate]
NOTE: The copyright of your speech will remain with the BC Japanese Speech Contest Organizing Committee.
Application deadline is 5 pm, Friday, February 5, 2021.
PRELIMINARY SCREENING PROCESS
The Organizing Committee will review all the applications and select qualified applicants to proceed to the final contest. The selected applicants will be contacted by the Consulate.
The final list of successful applicants will be posted on the website of the Consulate General of Japan on Monday, February 15, 2021.
NOTE:
1) Contestants who do not progress to the final contest will not be contacted.
2) A category without a sufficient number of successful contestants will be cancelled.
3) The Organizing Committee reserves the right to determine which contestants will proceed to the final contest and in which category they will compete.
JUDGING CRITERIA
The major criteria are the speech’s (a) content, (b) linguistic technique, and (c) delivery/presentation. Appropriate length and delivery of speech from memory are parts of presentation.
NOTE:
1) Reading from a hardcopy of your draft during your speech is not allowed.
2) Speech length should be adhered to. Overly long or short speeches are subject to penalty.
3) A winner may not be declared if all contestants fail to meet the standards of the category.
PRIZES
* A participation prize will be given to all final contestants.
* Certificates and prizes will be awarded to the top contestants in each category.
* Special prizes may be awarded at the discretion of the Organizing Committee.
If you have any questions, please contact: programs@vc.mofa.go.jp
